Oldest Full-Body Insect Fossil Found by Magdalena Rosova

Probably the oldest imprint of a prehistoric insect, which was made while the insect was still alive, was discovered.

American researchers found the imprint at a rocky outcrop close to a big shopping center in North Attleboro, Massachusetts. The imprint was made by an insect nearly three inches long and the researchers believe it is about 312 million years old.

The discoverer, Richard Knecht, a student of geology at Tufts University in Massachusetts, said it is not a dragonfly but something related, maybe a mayfly.

The fossilized remains of a wing of the same insect was found two weeks ago.

In the imprint we can see the thorax and abdomen and six legs as well. The insect may have moved slightly with two legs which created drag marks that hardened into stone.

Paleontologist Jake Brenner said it was not usual that a flying insect make such a deep impression in sediment. "We don't have many good body fossils from this time period with these early flying insects. The level of detail is really unseen in continental deposits," he added.

The insect lived at the time when insects and amphibians were common and reptiles were just at the beginning of their come to prominence.

Most of the fossilized remains of insects are only part of body like a wing of a leg. The imprint of whole body is something that scientist had only imagined.

The rock with the imprint broke off in Knecht`s hand as he was trying to discover an outcrop where footprints of an ancient amphibian were found the day before. It was definitely a lucky find.

related story: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,438223,00.html

by Magdalena Rosova for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

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These news are original content from young talents around the world and are selected for you by Chris Cantell.


edited by Beata Biskova

Chris Cantell Discusses Science: Z√°hada ponorky H.L. Hunley v novom svetle by Zuzana Zelenakova

Na úvod treba spomenúť zopár faktov z histórie. H.L. Hunley bola ponorka konfederačných štátov v období občianskej vojny v USA a bola to zároveň prvá ponorka, ktorej sa podarilo potopiť nepriateľskú vojnovú loď. No po úspešnom útoku v roku 1864, ktorý sa odohral v Charleston harbor, ponorka zmizla, zjavne sa potopila aj so svojou osemčlennou posádkou. Vrak bol vylovený v roku 2000. Naďalej zostáva záhadou prečo sa vlastne ponorka nevrátila do prístavu. Medzinárodný tím vedcov vo Warren Lasch Conservation Center pracuje pod záštitou Naval Historical Center na zreštaurovaní ponorky a zároveň sa snaží vyriešiť záhadu jej zmiznutia. A zdá sa, že len nedávno prišli na dôležitý objav. Posádka plavidla podľa nich neuviedla do chodu čerpadlo na odstránenie vody z priestorov určených pre posádku, čo by mohlo znamenať, že tie neboli zaplavené. „Začína to vyzerať tak, že to bol nedostatok kyslíku, ktorý spôsobil bezvedomie posádky,“ povedal predseda komisie South Carolina Hunley Commission. „Možno si zle vypočítali koľko kyslíku im ešte zostáva.“ No i tieto najnovšie závery nie sú práve najjasnejšie. „Môžeme s istotou povedať, že sa nesnažili ako blázni odčerpať vodu? Nie, nemôžeme,“ hovorí archeologička Maria Jacobsenová. „Naozaj si nemyslím, že už sme v bode kedy môžeme hovoriť o tom čo tí muži na konci robili, pretože jednoducho nepoznáme zoradenie všetkých ventilov.“ Len jedna vec je istá, a to, že záklopka, ktorou bolo možné odčerpať vodu z priestorov pre posádku bola zavretá. Ôsmi muži z H.L. Hunley sú i naďalej jediní, ktorí poznajú skutočnú pravdu. Všetci odpočívajú na cintoríne v Charlestone, kam boli so všetkými vojenskými poctami pochovaní v roku 2004.


related story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081018/ap_on_re_us/confederate_submarine;_ylt=Am07.7964Baq1KO2eiQuI72s0NUE

by Zuzana Zelenakova for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

PocketNews is a new real-time news broadcaster delivering the latest and hottest news right to your pocket ! With global clients who want to be kept up to date, PocketNews is everyone's way of keeping in touch with the World.

These news are original content from young talents around the world and are selected for you by Chris Cantell.

Ike and what remained after it by Barbora Misakova

Sometimes the nature can be more than destructive. Except ruined houses, damaged cars and transmission lines, there can be heavy death toll. And sometimes the nature is so powerful, that single living creature on the planet can be endangered. When at the end of August a tropical disturbance started somewhere near the Africa no one thought that it could become the most intense storm in 2008 Atlantic hurricane season (at least so far). But it happened and Ike became a category 4 hurricane which on the scale ranges from 1 to 6 (while 6 is highest destructive potential) earned a 5.2! That’s the power, isn’t it? Unfortunately it wasn’t used for good. But it destroyed almost everything, and cause environmental toll.
During the days before and after the storm, lot of residents and companies was reporting releases of oil, gasoline and other substances in the air, water and ground. All around Louisiana and Texas were appearing propane tanks, paint cans and other hazardous materials containers which Ike spread from industrial centers near Houston, Port Arthur in Texas and also other oil production facilities. Situation is quite complicated – lot of people is calling about new discoveries of hazardous materials which appear near their houses, in the marshes, backyards and other places. The Coast Guard’s National Response Center is collecting all information about chemical and biological releases and passes it to agencies working on the ground. They then have to identify the materials and clean it up. Probably the biggest problem is with damaged pipelines. Most of them are damaged so much that substance is “spewing” from them and so spreading into the water. For example there was enough spilled crude oil to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool! The situation of the air is better. Air quality tests found no problems, but the storm totally damaged many of the state’s permanent air pollution monitors in the region. Ike’s strong wind caused lot of troubles to the animals as well. Wind was so strong that more than 1000 baby squirrels were blown from their nests, and the result of storm will probably show on the bird migration – lot of birds lost their food sources and it is questioning if they stay here or fly away to find some food. Sometimes it just seems to me like the nature was its own worst enemy.


related story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081006/ap_on_go_ot/hurricane_environment;_ylt=Api.hu4jc.bhi32hcAJ0NS0PLBIF

by Barbora Misakova for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

PocketNews is a new real-time news broadcaster delivering the latest and hottest news right to your pocket ! With global clients who want to be kept up to date, PocketNews is everyone's way of keeping in touch with the World.

These news are original content from young talents around the world and are selected for you by Chris Cantell.


edited by Beata Biskova